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Combat the Holiday Blues With These Tips

By Alina Bradford

Dec 12, 2023

1 min read

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According to an early 2023 report from the U.S. Surgeon General, almost half of adults in the country have experienced loneliness. During the holidays, loneliness, stress and burnout can be real problems. Some call this the holiday blues.

Though there's no magic trick to break out of the holiday blues, there are some tips that can help.

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Low-cost (and free!) tips for beating the holiday blues

We've gathered some tips and reminders to help you get through the holidays:

Take a walk in nature. According to the Mental Health Foundation, being in nature really does help.
Take a timeout whenever you start to get overwhelmed. Timeouts aren't just for little kids. Walk away for a bit or hide in the bathroom. Give yourself time to breathe.
Do something you don't think you have time for. Sleep in or take a long hot bath with tea or cocoa. Then, cut something from your to-do list or delegate it to someone else.
Text or call a best friend or family member and take a walk down memory lane.
Do something fun that you loved as a child, like play with playdough or read a beloved book from the children’s section in the library.
Step away from social media. Those "perfect" holiday posts by influencers can make you feel not good enough.
Read some fiction. Get your head out of your life and into a fictional world for a little bit. Don't have time to read? Grab a book the next time you feel like scrolling social media.
Give yourself grace. Everything doesn’t need to be perfect, including YOU!

Take a walk in nature. Take a timeout whenever you start to get overwhelmed. Sleep in or take a long hot bath with tea or cocoa. Text or call a best friend or family member and take a walk down memory lane. Do something fun that you loved as a child, like play with playdough or read a beloved book from the children’s section in the library. Give yourself grace. Everything doesn’t need to be perfect, including YOU!

If you're feeling more than the blues...

Suicide prevention and mental health crisis help is available:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Dial 988
Trevor Project Hotline for LGBTQ teens: 1-866-488-7386
Mental Health America

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Written by

Alina Bradford

Alina is a safety and security expert with over 25 years of experience. She has contributed her insights to CNET, CBS, Digital Trends, MTV, Top Ten Reviews, and many others. After testing thousands of devices, apps, services, and more, her goal is to make safety and security gadgets less mystifying one article at a time. In the early 2000s, Alina worked as a volunteer firefighter, earning her first responder certification and paving the way to her current career. Plus, she has tested hundreds of pieces of security and safety equipment over the years. Places published: CBS, MTV, CVS, Rachael Ray, eBay, Reader’s Digest, ConsumerAffairs, and more. Certifications: Fire Service Training, Oklahoma State University. Awards: Received the Experience Leader certificate from Authority, putting her “in the top 25% among the thousands of professional content creators analyzed by Authory for the Fall 2023 audit.” You can view more of Alina's work at alinabradford.com.